Yachting: GBR need to find their edge

By Tim Jeffery in Auckland

12:01AM GMT 16 Nov 2002

The lights burned overnight inside the GBR compound in Auckland as Peter Harrison's shore team reconfigured GBR 70 in an attempt to find more zip. Without more speed, and already 1-2 down in their best-of-seven quarter-final encounter with Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes, Britain's return to the America's Cup will come to an abrupt end.

Being in the single-chance bottom half of the draw, GBR must beat USA 77 to survive. But wholesale modifications are not possible. While continuing to race, they can only make subtle set-up changes.

In Round One, when starts were a weakness and starting helmsman Andy Beadsworth was swapped for Andy Green, there was discussion about whether skipper Ian Walker might steer the pre-start as well as the race. But Walker has ruled that out.

What is being discussed is whether to turn up the heat on USA 77's Ken Read in the pre-start. He is not a comfortable match racer and has collected penalties in previous races, but GBR has not yet exploited this.

Walker said: "The level of risk is something we all talk about. We have been fairly non-confrontational." This is not just a simple case of aggressive manoeuvring to try to induce a foul from Walker, but fighting hard to win the favoured side of the opening leg of the race. Without this, GBR 70 just does not seem to have the speed to deal with USA 77.